Taiwan, U.K. sign MOU to boost bilateral drone industry exchanges

Taipei, July 27 (CNA) Taiwan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a British defense industry group to establish a platform for bilateral drone industry exchanges, the alliance behind the initiative said Monday.

According to a statement from the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance (TEDIBOA), the MOU with ADS Group was reached on July 23 during the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.

The agreement marked the first formal exchange between the drone industries of Taiwan and the United Kingdom, TEDIBOA said.

Representing the alliance, Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) President Chuang Hsiu-mei (莊秀美) signed the agreement with ADS Group CEO Kevin Craven.

Under the agreement, the two sides will establish an industry exchange platform for drone research, development and marketing, participate in each other's international business expansion programs, and explore further cooperation opportunities.

It also aims to promote substantive collaboration and bilateral investment while enhancing the two sides' competitiveness in drone technology and the global market, TEDIBOA added.

During the event, Chuang said she believed Taiwan could become a safe, reliable and highly capable manufacturing partner in the Asia-Pacific region for the United Kingdom's aerospace and defense industries.

Craven said the new exchange platform will allow the two sides to fully leverage their respective strengths in technology development and manufacturing, helping drive continued growth in the drone industry. He said he looked forward to working with TEDIBOA to create more global business opportunities.

ADS Group is one of the United Kingdom's leading national industry associations, representing more than 2,000 members across the aerospace, defense, security and space sectors. Its subsidiary, Farnborough International, is the organizer of the Farnborough International Airshow.

TEDIBOA said it has so far established partnerships with 15 drone organizations across nine countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The alliance added that it visited Germany, the United States and Japan in the first half of this year to hold talks with local companies and organizations, as part of efforts to expand global business opportunities.